Does the title of this blog confuse you?
If so, welcome to my world! I'm a REALTOR® parent of a twenty something year old who is also a REALTOR®. That makes him a Millennial REALTOR® and that means he's different than me.
Way different.
Now I'm not saying that's bad because it isn't. It's just different. And that's okay because every generation is different in lots of ways than the ones before them. And what's always interesting is when two generations attempt to work together in a business that the person from the previous generation had begun.
In Real Estate, this plays out in some very interesting ways...
Take technology, for example. One of my strengths as a REALTOR® is that I am a tech guru. I beat my competition in the tech area hands down. It super charges my business and provides advantages to my buyers and sellers that other REALTORS® cannot imagine. Now that's not bragging (even though it sounds like it). Rather, it's a strength of mine and, when combined with negotiation skills and marketing, is a powerful force in Real Estate.
But then this Millennial kid of mine comes along, gets his Real Estate license and brings his natural techy skills along with him. And it doesn't take long for me to find out that where I'm good at technology and Real Estate, he's VERY good at technology and Real Estate. He can whip through screens on his Mac like he's playing fruit ninja. And reaching out to leads through emails? Nah, forget that old school stuff. He can have a text conversation rolling in less than a minute from when he receives an Internet lead.
Hmmmm. I think I like this kid. (Duh, right?)
Especially because he listens. Where he is super amazing with technology, he is too young to have a huge sphere of influence. Most of his friends just are not quite old enough to be buying houses yet. That means he has to work with older people like me. And you know what? He's good at doing that. He knows his stuff and is able to move through different generations to meet their needs, answer their questions and help them with their buying and selling needs. Need a paper contract? No problem. He's got that. You're all digital and paperless. Yeah, he's got on his Iphone. Want to talk about foreclosures? Pre-foreclosures, short sales or anything else in Real Estate? He can do that too. And if he doesn't know the answers, he knows his old man knows the answers or where to find the answers.
Many things have changed in Real Estate since I began in 2007. And folks who have been in the business longer than me have seen even more changes. And one thing is for sure. Real Estate is going to continue to change and evolve. And one thing that will especially change the way we REALTORS® do our business are the Millennials who are just now coming into our business. The question for us old timers in the next few years is really pretty easy...
Will you lead, follow or get out of the way?
Photo credit: Tru-Access via (license)
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